Yesterday was an awesomely fun packed day !! Kim picked me up late morning then we headed to Dr Phillips ( yes, that is the name of a suburb in Orlando) to a car wash for a Wacky Wednesday $4 car wash special ! Can’t beat that deal !

Next stop was across the street to our mutual friend, Michele P’s favorite lunch destination, Rocco’s Tacos & Tequila Bar !! One word can fully describe this restaurant, YUMMY 😋 !! We ordered the guacamole that they hand prepared table side with their house made tortilla chips, Absolutely outstanding !! We each ordered a soft taco. The flavor was incredible & memorable !!

We were then on a mission to find the ingredients to my other favorite restaurant, Colombia’s Famous Cava Sangria. We stopped at a few liquor stores, a Publix and a Trader Joe’s. Our mission was a success !

We then came back to the campground, fed Sadie dinner & took her for a long walk in the woods. Then we tucked her in as we headed to the Marina to catch the boat and headed to Disney’s Contemporary Resort. After leaving the boat we were welcomed by a magical Mickey topiary. It’s hard to believe, but the last time I was in the Contemporary Resort was 43 years ago when my aunt took me to Disney in 1977 !!

It was a bit (lots) chilly yesterday so we were in search of a hot beverage. We went to the Contemporary’s California Grill bar on the 15th floor (all guests are escorted to the restaurant via an elevator attendant). We ended up ordering coffee & a personal pizza to share. The Joffrey’s brand house blend coffee was the best French pressed that we ever tasted ! The thin crust wood fired pizza topped with 4 cheeses and a pesto swirl was equally delicious !! We were informed by the wait person that we could return to see the Magic Kingdom fireworks at 8pm as long as we showed our receipt to the elevator attendant.

By this time it was 6pm, so we had an hour & a half to shop & explore. Inside the Contemporary shop, Kim found a gorgeous tropical theme top that she purchased. Then, after walking through security screening, we boarded the monorail to explore the lobby of another resort, the Grand Floridian. Their lobby is the mother of all lobby’s … Grandiose indeed !! We then continued our monorail journey & disembarked back at the Contemporary. We got in the elevator line to wait to go to the 15th floor observation deck & guess what … they never did ask for our receipt !! 👍😃

During the winter, the Magic Kingdom’s nightly Happily Ever After fireworks display begins promptly at 8pm & lasts 18 minutes … they pipe in the synchronized music on the roof of the Contemporary. Simply Magical !! Below are videos of the beginning & the finale.

Enjoy !!

This afternoon while sweet Sadie enjoyed a dream nap, Lori & Mike picked me up one last time before we leave Disney.

We headed to Disney’s Cast Connection to look for some discounted Disney merchandise. I picked up some great deals; 6 shirts, a Halloween vest & Mickey ears all for under $40 !! 🤗

Then we headed to Carrabba’s for dinner. So sweet of you both to treat me to a yummy meal !! Thanks L & M for all the fun things we did over the past 4 months while we were at Disney (especially the air boat ride)!! 👍😃💖

Last October I brought Sadie to the Vineland Animal Hospital near the campground for her occasional bouts of colitis. I was extremely impressed with the friendly, knowledgeable staff, their services and reasonable prices. So, before we leave Disney, I decided to take Sadie there again for a wellness check up, a pedicure & a shot that was due.

Sadie enjoyed walking into the office & getting weighed, but, as soon as we were invited into the exam room, she then realized where she was 🤣 ! What’s so cool about Dr Melissa & her staff is that they do the exam while sitting on the floor with your pet so that they are eye level with them. Psychologically it’s much more comforting for the animal.

Sadie has a heart murmur, an enlarged liver & arthritis in her legs & hips. I was instructed to monitor her. For now, she’s doing great, but, if I notice any changes in her daily routine, I should contact a veterinarian. Sadie gained a half a pound since her last visit, but Sadie claims it’s muscle weight from all our walking 😂🤣 !!

Pictured below are Dr Melissa & vet technician Quinn. If you’re in the Disney area and need a veterinarian, I highly recommend them !!

While walking Sadie this morning I saw a buck AND for the first time ever, I saw an armadillo digging for food.

After nearly 4 months here, Sadie has inspected and sniffed every inch of this campground !! 😂🤣🐾💖

Today Ann & Mary picked me up and we headed to Celebration to meet Kim for an al fresco lunch at my favorite Colombia Restaurant ! This restaurant never disappoints ! The food is delicious and the staff is very accommodating, engaging & super friendly ! If you’re in the area, I encourage you to visit & enjoy their incredible cuisine & don’t forget to order their famous 1905 salad with house dressing, their veggie filled gazpacho with homemade bread, then wash it down with a pitcher of their popular refreshing & fruity Sangria de Cava ! 😋

Since Kim is a Celebration resident, after lunch she gave us a tour of the surrounding lakes, trails, shops, bungalows, mansions and her gorgeous quintessential FL home ! We were amazed to see mansions that featured a water slide from the 2nd floor into their pool ! During our tranquil walk we came upon lots of FL wildlife. Turtles, birds & alligators, oh my !!

We shopped at a couple stores including Wolfgang Puck’s dog bakery called Woof Gang. Dessert was next on our agenda, so we stopped at Kilwins for some of their amazing homemade ice cream !

Thanks ladies, for an awesomely delicious & memorable afternoon !

As far back as I can remember, I have always wanted to visit this park !! So, today was another dream come true !! And, boy did I have a blast !!

I have never been a Harry Potter fan, however, visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter transformed me. While strolling the parks, every turn revealed an amazing architectural accomplishment !! Harry’s ‘village’ was incredible & massive !! The rides were insane !! Of course the photo taken by the park captured me with my eyes closed !! (probably because a dragon exhaled fire on me) !! 😂🤣

I rode the Hogwarts Express train between parks from Hogsmeade to Kings Cross Station. And, every 10 minutes a dragon perched atop Gringotts Bank, breathes fire (check out the video).

Scooby Doo & Shaggy were two of my favorite childhood cartoon characters & I finally got to meet them !!

Despicable Me Minion Mayhem & Shrek 4D we’re awesome as well !! The theater seats jostled us around & when Donkey sneezed, we were sprayed with water !! As with Disney, Universal also offers guests pre-shows for their most popular rides just to keep their guests attention while waiting for the actual ride to begin.

Jurassic Park was just as incredible !!

Most of the rides at Universal come with an explicit warning for those with health issues. They definitely cover their butts here !

The 2nd video is of an insanely popular roller coaster ride, the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit … No thanks !! 😳

I dined at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Restaurant. The crab cake was good, but, not as good as the one I had at the Boathouse at Disney Springs !!

Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure & City Park definitely exceeded my expectations !! In hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have worn my Walt Disney World shirt there ! 😂

P.S. It’s cheaper than Disney.

Kim & her friend Mary (visiting from PA) visited Sadie & I yesterday, then we went for lunch and dined al fresco at a local Indian restaurant. Mary was in search of a tankini so we visited the Mall at Millenia. This indoor mall offers its guests over 150 stores and is 1,118,000 square feet !! Absolutely a one stop shopping experience !!

Good news !! We’re making progress !! As you can see by the photos & video, Miss Sadie is warming up to her new bed. 👍😃🐾

These turkeys are ‘la vida loca’ !! Spotted them this morning on top of a golf cart !! 🤦🏻‍♀️. It seems like everywhere we walk, they appear !!

Our time at Disney is winding down. Soon we’ll be moving on. Sadie enjoys being here, so changing locations will be difficult for her. It will be sad to leave, but it’s definitely time. We’re going to continue to stay in FL until winter is over, so we’re not going too far. Having lived at Disney for almost 4 months, the difficult part is accepting that any place we go after here will be disappointingly subpar and definitely lacking in Disney style amenities. However, we will not miss the turkeys !! 🦃😂🤣

Sadie & I had a surprise visit today from our friends, Rob & Diane. They just returned to their home in FL after their holiday visit with their families back in PA. Today they were at Hollywood Studios waiting for their Rise of the Resistance boarding group to be called when they contacted me to see if they can visit.

They arrived at the campground via Disney transportation. Sadie & I greeted them at the bus stop. We walked back to my loop to show them my home & then we took a mini tour of the marina area. We returned to my home & snacked on cheese, salsa, chips & hummus as we chatted & caught up on our lives since they left before the holidays last year. During our walk back to the bus stop we came upon some of my lovely turkey friends (see 3rd pic) 😂🦃🤣!! Rob & Diane, It’s always fun to see you both … Thanks so much for stopping by today !! 👍😃💖

Update on Sadie’s taco bed … today I caught her resting her snout & paw on it 👍 we’re slowly getting there ! 😂 Sadie fell off a curb this morning … the video will tell the story … no worries … she’s ok !!

Kim is back in FL from her holiday visit in PA ! Plus, tomorrow is Kim’s birthday, so, today we went out on the town to celebrate !!

First up, we ‘tried’ to drive in to visit Disney’s newest resort, The Riviera, but, we got stopped at the gate because we didn’t have a valid lunch reservation … but, that didn’t stop this dynamic duo from figuring out how to get in !! Brilliant Kim said we could gain access to the resort via Disney’s Skyliner from Disney’s Boardwalk ! Quite frankly, our attempt at ‘breaking & entering’ wasn’t worth it as we both agreed the resort overall was a tad disappointing. The lobby was far from Disney’s usual grandiose style & the landscaping needed some color & TLC. Our expectations were higher than what the resort delivered.

Next stop, Disney Springs, where we celebrated Kim’s birthday in style by having a late lunch at the Boathouse. The Boathouse is an incredible surf & turf restaurant that sits on the waterfront of Lake Buena Vista and features Amphicars & Italian Water Taxis.

We soaked up the sun as we sat outside on the dock that is attached to the restaurant & sipped on white Sangria with blueberries & cherries. We shared an appetizer platter of yummy fried green tomatoes. Then our entrees arrived, Kim enjoyed mahi-mahi fish tacos as I drooled over my incredible crab cake which was 99% lump crab meat & 1% filler. Without a doubt it was the best crab cake I’ve ever eaten! Then our waiter returned with a sinful looking chocolate cupcake for the birthday girl. We sang as she made a wish & blew out the candle.

Ever since arriving at Disney, I have been curious about the giant French Aerophile hand painted helium balloon parked at Disney Springs. This tethered 8 minute ‘ride’ ascends 400 feet in the air & offers a breathtaking 360 degree, 10 mile view of Disney property. We decided to be adventurous & go for it !! So, after lunch we made our way over to the ticket booth & within 20 minutes we were floating high above Disney Springs.

After we returned to earth, we headed back to the campground to greet Sadie. We took her for a long walk & came upon some of Disney’s Hoop Dee Doo Revue cast members in full costume & character. They offered to strike a pose, so I quickly snapped their photo.

Thanks Kim comma yes ! (Only Kim will understand that previous sentence). Today was so much fun ! 👍😃💖

Enjoy the 2 videos too !!

Sadie received a late Christmas gift in the mail today … it’s a snoozer cave bed that my friend Christine D suggested I get for Sadie. Her dog, Chance, loves his. The bed is actually pretty snuggly, plus it’s orthopedic and it looks like a giant taco.

Once again, as with her bicycle cart, Sadie is not impressed. Sadie asked me why she got a new bed when the old, dirty, smelly bed was perfectly fine. 😂

3rd pic – at least she’s laying her snout on it … that’s a start !!

Oh, to be a dog in a loving home …

Sadie’s life = sleep … eat … walk … sniff … pee/poop … repeat. 🤣 I’m sure your dog has the same priorities too !!

5th photo … I am convinced these damn turkeys know that they annoy me & hang out at my campsite on purpose 🦃🤬 !!

Enjoy the videos & photos!

Sadie is not pleased at all. I tried to convince her that it was her very own tiny home, but, she was not impressed. I think the cart is cool & really roomy, and if I were a dog, I would love being carted around. I am sure it will just take time … I walked her around in it for a bit before the rain arrived. My bike friend Dave attached the hook thingy onto my bike, so, in a few days we will see how she likes going for a ride.

Once again, Sadie & I bid farewell 😞 today to two different sets of awesome camping neighbors … John & Laura (who are going to be 1/2 hour away for the remainder of the winter) and AnnMarie & Will (they will slowly make their way back to NJ). Safe travels folks !!